Bucknell University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hits Road for First Time in 2015-16 Wednesday at Robert Morris
11/17/2015 4:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Where: Sewall Center, Moon Township, Pa.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, 7 p.m.
Webcast: NEC Front Row
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 FM WEGH)
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: RMUColonials.com
• COMPLETE GAME NOTES
With a Win over Robert Morris, Bucknell Would ...
• ... improve to 2-1 on the season.
• ... improve to 7-3 all-time against the Colonials.
• ... win its road opener for the first time since 2012-13 (at Purdue).
Headlines
• Bucknell heads out on the road for the first time in 2015-16 after splitting a pair of home games over the weekend. The Bison routed Shenandoah 107-61 in the opener on Friday, then fell to Wake Forest 90-82 on Sunday afternoon.
• Bucknell has piled up plenty of offense so far. The Bison are averaging 94.5 points per game while shooting 53.2% from the field and 45.1% from 3-point range. The 107-point showing against Shenandoah was the team's first 100-point game since 1994. Seven different Bucknell players have already recorded a double-digit scoring game.
• Preseason All-Patriot League selection Chris Hass is off to a quick start with 44 points in two games. Hass had 26 against Wake Forest on Sunday, and he is 8-for-15 from the 3-point arc on the season.
• The Bison were picked to finish second (behind Lehigh) in the Patriot League in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
• A year ago, the Bison captured the outright Patriot League regular-season title for the fourth time in the last five years before being upset by Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
• Bucknell lost four players from last year's squad: point guard Steven Kaspar (graduation), forward Joshea Singleton (graduation), forward Cory Starkey (graduation) and guard J.C. Show (transfer to Binghamton).
• The Bison return all five starters and five of the top six scorers from last season. In 2015-16 Bucknell brings back 77.6% of its scoring and 74.6% of its rebounding. Heading the list of returnees are 2014-15 First Team All-Patriot League guard Chris Hass, and 2014-15 Patriot League All-Rookie Team center Nana Foulland.
• This will be Robert Morris' home opener. The defending Northeast Conference champion started the season with road losses to Penn (76-75) and Cincinnati (106-44). Senior guard Robert Pryor, a Second Team All-NEC pick last season, scored 28 points against Penn and 17 against Cincinnati.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Robert Morris game will not be televised, however a live webcast will be available on NEC Front Row at necfrontrow.com.
• The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on Eagle 107 (WEGH 107.3 FM), with Doug Birdsong calling the action. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tip-off.
• The audio feed is also available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com.
• Live statistics can be viewed at rmucolonials.com.
Last Time Out
• It was a tale of two halves on Sunday afternoon, as Wake Forest rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Bucknell 90-82 at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell led by as many as 13 in the first half and 48-37 at the break after shooting 50.0 FG%. But the Bison cooled off in the second half, shooting 25.0 FG%, and the Demon Deacons outscored them 53-34 in the final 20 minutes. It was a 3-point game at 81-78, but Wake guard Mitchell Wilbekin's 3-pointer from the right corner with 2:52 remaining proved to be a critical shot.
• Chris Hass scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the first half. He connected on 4 of 9 3-point attempts and went 8-for-10 from the foul line. Hass also had 26 points in last year's game against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, and he now has 13 career 20-point games.
• Zach Thomas scored 10 of Bucknell's first 12 points of the game, and he finished with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Ryan Frazier (14) and Nana Foulland (11) also scored in double figures, while Foulland led the team with nine rebounds.
• It was a tightly called game, with the teams combining for 52 fouls and 67 free throws. Bucknell was 23-for-29 at the line and Wake Forest was 28-for-38.
• The Bison had 18 assists on 24 field goals with only eight turnovers.
• Bucknell was 8-for-15 from 3-point range in the first half, but just 3-for-14 in the second.
Records Fall on Opening Night
• Bucknell routed Shenandoah 107-61 in the season opener on Nov. 13. It was the team's first 100-point performance Feb. 9, 1994, when Hall of Fame Coach Charlie Woollum led the Bison to a 100-76 win over Lafayette.
Sojka Pavilion records set vs. Shenandoah:
• Points in a game (107)
• Points in a half (57)
• Field goals made (42)
• Assists (29)
Bucknell vs. Robert Morris Series Notes
• Bucknell and Robert Morris will be meeting for the 10th time in a series that dates back to 1983. The Bison lead the series 6-3, including a 60-45 win at Sojka Pavilion in the most recent meeting on Dec. 7, 2004. Chris McNaughton paced Bucknell with 19 points in that contest.
• In the last meeting on Robert Morris' home floor, the Colonials won 74-67 on Jan. 7, 2004.
• Bucknell is 2-2 against Robert Morris in Pittsburgh, with the victories coming in 1983-84 and 1997-98. The Colonials have won the last two meetings on their home floor in 1998-99 and 2003-04.
Bucknell vs. The Northeast Conference
• Bucknell is 46-34 (.575) all-time against the teams that currently comprise the Northeast Conference. The Bison are 17-12 against Saint Francis (Pa.), 12-10 vs. Mount St. Mary's, 6-3 vs. Robert Morris, 5-2 vs. Saint Francis (N.Y.), 5-6 vs. Wagner, 1-0 vs. Bryant and 0-1 vs. Central Connecticut State. Bucknell has never played Fairleigh Dickinson.
• Bucknell will play another NEC team next month when it travels to Mount St. Mary's.
Numbers Worth Noting
• Through two games the Bison have recorded some impressive offensive numbers. They are averaging 94.5 points per game while shooting 53.2 FG% and 45.1 3FG%.
• Whether it is a result of a more up-tempo offense or the reduction to the 30-second shot clock, Bucknell is playing at a much faster pace early this season. Bucknell's first two games have seen an average of 76.5 possessions per game, compared to 65.1 for the full season in 2014-15. The Bison are averaging an efficient 1.26 points per possession so far.
• Bucknell has a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio with 47 assists and 23 turnovers. The Bison have recorded assists on 71.2% of their field goals so far (47 of 66).
• All 12 Bison who have suited up so far have a positive scoring plus-minus. Kimbal Mackenzie leads the squad at +29, followed by Zach Thomas and Ryan Frazier at +22.
• Chris Hass has 929 career points and needs 71 to become the 39th member of Bucknell's 1,000-point club.
Who's Got Next?
• Bucknell will play a reigning NCAA Tournament team on the road for the second straight time on Saturday when it visits Manhattan at 7 p.m. The Jaspers won the MAAC Tournament title last season. Manhattan dropped its season opener 89-63 at Saint Mary's in California and will be idle until hosting the Bison on Saturday.
